


Achilles' Heel

by LostCauses (Anteros)



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Smut, and a little angst, eruri - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-02
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-30 20:56:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6440203
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anteros/pseuds/LostCauses
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time it happens, Erwin thinks little of it.  Levi’s body is like a battlefield and he has grown used to navigating the cuts and bruises, the scars and abrasions.  It’s not so unusual when a hand brushing lightly over the smooth jut of Levi’s hip makes him curse and twist out of Erwin’s embrace.<br/>“Sorry, are you all right Levi?” Erwin draws his hand away immediately.<br/>“Yes, fuck, it’s nothing.”  Levi pulls him back, lips hot and hungry on his neck, hands tugging at the belt of his pants.</p>
<p>Even Humanity's Strongest has his weak spot....</p>
            </blockquote>





	Achilles' Heel

The first time it happens, Erwin thinks little of it. Levi’s body is like a battlefield and he has grown used to navigating the cuts and bruises, the scars and abrasions. It’s not so unusual when a hand brushing lightly over the smooth jut of Levi’s hip makes him curse and twist out of Erwin’s embrace. 

“Sorry, are you all right Levi?” Erwin draws his hand away immediately.

“Yes, fuck, it’s nothing.” Levi pulls him back, lips hot and hungry on his neck, hands tugging at the belt of his pants. 

After that, Erwin isn’t really capable of giving it a second thought. It’s only later that it occurs to him he hadn’t noticed any injury on Levi’s hip. He frowns at his thoughtlessness. Levi may like it rough and Erwin is only too happy to oblige, but the thought of hurting him through lack of attention or consideration pains Erwin inexpressibly. 

The second time it happens the reaction is so dramatic that Erwin can’t help be concerned. Kissing his way south, over the taut plane of Levi’s stomach, Erwin presses his lips to that alluring patch of smooth skin just below Levi’s right hip. Levi jack-knifes off the bed with a string of oaths, pushing Erwin away so roughly that he almost lands on the floor. 

“Levi what…”

Erwin stops. Levi’s face is twisted into a pained rictus and he’s doubled over, holding his hand gingerly over his hip. 

“Levi,” Erwin starts again, softer this time, fear starting to twist in the pit of his stomach, “tell me what’s wrong.” 

“Shit. Nothing. There’s nothing wrong,” Levi pants.

“Clearly there is,” Erwin continues patiently. “What happened? Are you injured?” 

“It’s fine. I’m fine.” Levi gasps, voice still hitching. “There’s nothing wrong.” 

“Levi,” Erwin starts again, fear and concern causing a note of frustration to creep into his voice.

“Fuck Erwin it’s nothing,” Levi snaps. “See?”

He lifts his hand away from his hip and Erwin peers at him closely. He’s right. There’s nothing to see, barring the regular crisscross callouses left by his harness, his hip is smooth and unblemished, not a mark on it. 

Erwin reaches his hand out cautiously.

“If it’s fine then just let me…”

But before he can touch, Levi clamps his hand back over his hip and scrambles up the bed out of reach. 

“Fuck Erwin, just give it up right?” 

Levi glares furiously at him from the corner of the bed, looking for all the world like an wounded, cornered animal.

“All right, all right,” Erwin holds his hands up in a placating gesture “I’m sorry, I’m just concerned about you Levi.”

“Shit, just forget it Erwin, yeah?” Something in Levi’s expression shifts and he crawls forward into Erwin’s lap. “Anyway, fuck it, do you want this or not?” 

Erwin has to admit that he does want it. He wants it very much indeed. He tries to be as careful as he can, to keep his hands away from Levi’s hip, not to put too much weight on him, but it doesn’t take long before Levi is bucking hard against him pleading for _more, fuck, more, harder Erwin_ , any trace of pain or discomfort forgotten. Erwin fucks him hard until Levi is a limp panting mess sprawled across the bed beneath him. Just before they drift off to sleep, he runs his fingers lightly over Levi’s hip, he grunts and twitches slightly, but otherwise doesn’t stir. 

Erwin watches Levi closely from that point onwards, and it doesn’t take him long to see how protective he is of the spot below his right hip. Normally it’s concealed by his uniform skirt but when he’s not wearing it, he shields the spot with his right hand, thumb hooked casually into the straps of his harness. Erwin wonders how he’s never noticed it before and, of course, it doesn’t take long for Levi to notice him noticing. 

“What the fuck are you staring at Erwin?” Levi growls. 

Erwin ignores him and continues watching. There doesn’t appear to be any restriction in Levi’s movement to suggest an injury, and there are no outward signs of pain or discomfort. Though admittedly, with Levi, whose face rests naturally in a pained scowl, it’s not that easy to tell. It wouldn’t be the first time Levi has concealed a serious injury though. Despite Erwin’s assurances that he has nothing to fear within the ranks of the Survey Corps, he knows the extreme lengths Levi will go to to hide even the slightest trace of weakness. 

Unable to see any obvious sign of injury, Erwin’s suspicions fall on Levi’s harness. He’s aware of the damage an ill-fitting harness can cause, and knowing that Levi will not consent to being singled out for special treatment, he orders all squad leaders to have their harnesses checked and refitted at a cost the Survey Corps can barely afford. 

It makes no difference. Levi’s hand still hovers over his hip and he still twists away from Erwin if his caresses stray too close.

Frustrated beyond measure and unwilling to let it lie; Erwin resorts to consulting Hanji. 

“I’m concerned about Levi. Have you noticed anything wrong?”

“What, you mean other than being an obsessive clean freak with borderline psychopathic tendencies and a mouth like a sewer? No, he’s good.”

“Hanji,” Erwin sighs, “I mean physically.”

“Well, now you come to mention it,” Hanji pauses, “he is rather short…”

Erwin gives Hanji a flat stare. Hanji grins back unabashed. 

“Sorry, he seems fine to me. What do you think the matter is?”

“I’m not sure, I think he’s carrying an injury,” Erwin explains, “but he won’t tell me what’s wrong. See if you can find out anything. Discretely of course, you know what Levi’s like.”

“Roger that.” Hanji salutes, beady eyes already scanning the training ground.

Hanji appears in Erwin’s office later that afternoon limping slightly, uniform in disarray. 

“He’s fine. Definitely fine.” 

“What on earth happened to you?” Erwin takes in the long scratch over the bridge of their nose, the dirt smeared across their face. 

“Levi. He’s fine.”

“How do you know?” 

“Just challenged him to a couple of circuits of the training ground and he royally whipped my ass.”

Erwin looks Hanji up and down and raises one eyebrow.

“So it seem. Well, thank you Hanji, just keep an eye on him.”

Erwin pushes his concerns to the back of his mind and the next few weeks are so consumed with planning, budgeting and meetings that he almost forgets the matter.

He’s forcibly reminded when, after weeks of nonstop grinding tedium, he and Levi are finally able to snatch a few brief hours alone together. There’s no time for ceremony, for tenderness, for revelling in the light touch of skin on skin. It’s hard and desperate and unforgiving and they both need it so badly. Erwin throws Levi down on the bed and yanks off his harness and pants, so hungry to have him in his mouth that he pays little notice when his lips make contact with Levi’s right hip. He’s stopped in his tracks a second later by a strangled choking sound like nothing he’s ever heard before. He looks up in alarm and sees the same agonised rictus on Levi’s face, eyes screwed tightly shut, mouth twisted into a pained grimace. He’s trying desperately to bite back the sound but this time Erwin recognises it for what it is. Before he can pull away, Erwin grabs hold of Levi’s hips and presses his lips to that smooth patch of skin. Levi yelps and curses, tries to push Erwin away, but it’s too late. There’s no concealing the fact that he’s laughing.

“Levi.” Erwin fixes him with a firm glare. 

“Fuck off!” Levi gasps helplessly, trying to squirm out of Erwin’s grip. 

“Are you telling me,” Erwin starts, fingers tightening around Levi’s hips.

“Fuck off Erwin, I swear to all the gods, if you so much as touch…”

He’s almost choking from the effort of trying to smother his laughter. 

The dangerous glint in Erwin’s eyes might have terrified a lesser man but Levi is already too far gone to either notice of care. 

“So if I kiss you just here…” Erwin’s lips hover above Levi’s hip, brushing lightly over the smooth patch of skin. 

“Fuck off Erwin!” Levi gasps, helpless with laughter. 

Erwin is too much of a strategist to give up the advantage and he does not fuck off. 

Later when Erwin has finally relented, Levi has sulked furiously, and Erwin has promised faithfully never to touch that precise spot ever, ever again, they lie exhausted in each others arms and Erwin begins telling Levi a story his father told him as a boy. The story of a hero, humanity’s strongest, bravest, most fearless warrior. A warrior who vanquished every foe, who could not be killed, who was invulnerable save for one tiny spot on his heel. 

Levi snorts quietly against Erwin’s shoulder. 

“Touch that spot again and you’ll be the one getting fucking killed.”

Erwin smiles against the crown of Levi’s head and plants a kiss in his hair. 

He does not tell Levi the rest of the story. Of the depth of the hero’s love for his companion, of the agony of his grief, the fury of his rage, when he meets his death on the field of battle fighting for his beloved’s cause. 

Erwin pulls Levi nearer in the darkness and holds him close as they drift off to sleep, one hand shielding his right hip.


End file.
